A Zayla Story Book 2: Zac's Promise
by IvyLatimer24
Summary: Book 2 of 6 . When Lyla and Zac find themselves in more danger than ever, Zac realises he must make a promise to Lyla that everything will turn out OK. But will it? Will Lyla be killed? Will Zac lose the only powers he has to save her? Can marriage place a role in this? Warnings: Violence/Torture/Deaths. Mainly Lyla/Zac with added Cam/Nixie and David/Sirena. Also Evie/?
1. New Danger

**AN: The sequel has arrived! This took a lot of planning, I'm sorry for the wait, but it is really and truly HERE! YAAYY! If you haven't read Lyla's Mistake, do, but if you don't have time and just want to read this story then I guess I'll give you a bit of an explanation of what is going on. **

**Lyla and Zac are together, Evie is single and accepts that they love each other.**

**Nixie and Cam are together.**

**David and Sirena are together, and David knows about the mermaids and Zac.**

**The pod has returned to Mako, but is temporarily not living at Mako because they have gone back to get their things from their previous home. The pod now includes some mermaids with green tails, from the place where Mako's mermaids settled. This includes 16 year old Lily who has befriended the group. **

**Enjoy!**

**I don't own Mako Mermaids :)**

Lyla swam down through the sea, gliding among the reefs and got down low enough to be able to brush the sand on the bottom with her fingers. Brushing her hair out of her face, she squinted down at something on the seafloor.

At first she thought it was only a bit of metal, but looking closer she realised it was a knife. And it was covered in sticky silver liquid. Lyla recognized it in a second. Mermaid blood. She frowned.

Knifes were made by humans…

A mermaid's blood was magical, and full of the power of the moon. That was why it was silver - their DNA absorbed that power from the moon pool, their source of magic. Of course, Zac's blood wasn't silver, he was still half human. So he still had human DNA but with a little mermaid mixed in from his transformation in the moon pool.

Lyla picked up the knife and examined the blade curiously. Mermaid blood was rarely spilled - being magical underwater creatures that didn't really ever die. Only a human with professional knowledge of how to attack a mermaid could have done this.

Lyla held on to the knife and started to swim up to the surface. Zac appeared behind her. They both broke the surface at the same time.

Lyla turned around and greeted him with a kiss.

"Hey Zac!" she smiled.

"Hi." Zac responded, his gaze flicking to the silver coated knife. "What's that?"

Lyla frowned, studying it closely.

"It's a human made knife… with mermaid blood on it. I'm really worried, Zac." she showed him the silver blade, dripping with silver.

Zac washed off the blood and peered at the side of the handle, noticing some words engraved into the side.

It read **T.S.M.T.**

"What does that mean?" Zac wondered, showing it to Lyla. Seeing the letters, Lyla gasped in horror.

"Zac, this is really bad!" she cried. "We have to get Nixie and Sirena. Now." she pulled him after her and they swam to Rita's.

**XxXxX**

"No. This can't be happening!" was Nixie's reaction to the knife when Lyla showed her.

"Can somebody tell me what it is?" Zac complained.

Lyla stared at him solemnly.

"This knife has been used by the Top Secret Mermaid Torturers!" she exclaimed.

"Who are they?" Zac asked.

Rita walked over to stand beside them, followed by Sirena.

"They are a group of bad men who capture mermaids and lock them up and get tortured in a secret prison hidden from humans." Rita explained grimly. "They know all about mermaids and moon pools, and well, everything. Something happened in the past that made them want to kill us all. We don't know why, or how this came to be. Thirty years ago, they nearly wiped out all Mako's population. We fought back, and the surviving escaped. They went to Ireland and killed every single mermaid in those sea caves. That was a great loss, as those mermaids have a lot of different powers to us, such as Gelidkinesis. We don't know where they went after that, somewhere else in the world I suppose. But if what Lyla says is true, and that there was fresh mermaid blood on this knife, then it means they have returned."

"Which mermaid could have been injured not too long ago though?" Sirena wondered. "The pod has gone all the way back to River Island to get their belongings!"

"We can't just go and search the ocean." Lyla pointed out. "If the T.S.M.T have returned to the Gold Coast, then no doubt there will be traps everywhere."

"I didn't see anything, and I was swimming around Mako all morning." Zac said.

"Maybe there's only a few of them here?" Nixie wondered.

"Whatever. We have to be really careful now, though." Lyla said firmly. "No one should swim alone out there until we are sure that they haven't come to get the mermaids of Mako."

"I'll go now to look." Zac offered.

"I'll come with you." Lyla finished. "I can't lose you."

"Me and Nixie will come out to help you look in half an hour. We're going to the cafe first, to tell David and Cam what's going on." Sirena informed them.

"Sounds good." Rita said approvingly. "Make sure you have your moon rings."

Lyla nodded and looked down at her newly made moon ring the pod had made for her after the evil one had been destroyed.

Nixie and Sirena held up their moon rings to Rita, chorusing, "We will!"

"Me too!" Zac joked.

Rita laughed and disappeared through the doorway to go upstairs.

"Promise me you'll be careful?" Sirena said to Lyla.

"Of course!" Lyla grinned, holding Zac's hand tightly. "I have a protector right here."

"And I have a beautiful mermaid right here." Zac added, wrapping his arms around Lyla, grinning.

"You are so lucky." Nixie giggled. "I wish Cam would say the same to me."

Everyone laughed and stood up to go to the pool and dive in.

**XxXxX**

Lyla swam out the underwater entrance, following Zac. Their laughter had faded to worry. They whizzed through the sea toward Mako, and surfaced next to the place where Lyla had found the knife. They both looked around, shading their eyes in the sun that sparkled on the clear water.

"I can't see a thing." Zac sighed.

"Me neither." Lyla bit her lip. "I'm scared, Zac. They could be hiding somewhere, ready to get us at any moment."

"Let's look behind the island." Zac decided.

"Good idea." Lyla agreed.

Zac dove in and was already zooming around to the other side of Mako. Lyla went after him, struggling to keep up. They were deep underwater, so she couldn't call for him to wait for her.

Zac nearly forgot about what he was looking for as he enjoyed the bubbles whipping against his face and the endless energy in his blue tail that propelled him faster and faster.

Suddenly he stopped short, remembering Lyla. He turned around, still underwater. Lyla was nowhere to be seen. Zac surfaced to find himself further away from Mako than he'd expected to go.

He looked around and saw a boat anchored nearby. And a lot of others! One look at the **T.S.M.T **marked on the sides in thick black letters and Zac knew he was in danger. He dove down under the water to hide himself. The boats were surrounding him.

**XxXxX**

"Jared, get over here! We've got another one cornered!" Jack spat at the teenager sitting at the bottom of the boat reading a book.

"I don't want to help, okay?" Jared grumbled, turning a page.

"You are seventeen years old Jared, practically an adult!" Jack hissed. "Your father wouldn't be proud of you slacking off important work that has to be done."

"No." Jared answered.

"I'll kick you off the boat if you don't bring the net over here right now!" Jack roared.

"You're the worst uncle ever." Jared muttered under his breath, tossing his book aside and holding on to the side of the boat to pull himself to his feet.

Jared pulled out the biggest net from the back of the boat and brought it to Jack. Jack threw the net into the water, gripping the corner tightly.

Jared glanced at the small screen on the side of the boat. A big shape flashed, bigger than any other mermaid Jared had seen on it before.

"Pretty big mermaid." he commented.

"Oh, it's not a mermaid." Jack grinned. "It's a merman."

"What? Why would we capture a merman? We don't need revenge on them! WE used to be mermen!" Jared argued.

"He's friends with that green tailed mermaid we killed today." Jack told him.

"Lily?" Jared gasped.

Jack chuckled.

"And there are more. Three outcasted ones from the Mako Island pod. This merman underneath our boat's dating one of them."

"How do you know?" Jared demanded.

"I spy on that bunch all the time. Whenever I'm about to get one of them they get away. I don't think they've noticed that we're here yet." Jack snickered.

"They will once they realise Lily is dead, and that the rest of their pod is trapped in the underground prisons. AND once this merman disappears." Jared retorted.

"Why are you never loyal?" Jack fumed angrily. "You never want to help with the captures, you never want to take part with the torture, you never agree to anything that we need to do. Jared, this is revenge. We have to do this, for our defeat 1000 years ago. I checked the chamber yesterday. They destroyed the trident. They think they are winners. Well, it isn't over. And if you aren't going to do what I say, then you'll end up like your father. Dead, under my fist."

"My father was a great merman!" Jared raged, standing up to his uncle. "He knew what was right. If you hadn't gone and killed him then I would have stayed on his side. I make my own choices. You can't tell me what to do."

"Why don't you just shut up for a second!" Jack yelled. "That merman's nearly in the net."

**XxXxX**

Fear built up inside Zac as the net towered above him, forcing him to flatten himself against the sea floor.

The net was still coming down. There was no escape now. It tangled around his fin, tugging him up. His body left the ground, his arms waving around for something to grip on to. The net enclosed him, wrapping him tightly and securely.

The net was being pulled up on to the boat, bringing Zac with it.

**XxXxX**

Lyla followed the ripples in the water Zac had made whilst swimming extremely fast. Then she saw where it led.

The boats. They were everywhere! And the slice that Zac's tail had made through the water led right into the centre of them.

Trembling, Lyla zoomed as fast as she could toward the boats. The biggest one was hauling up a huge net. And it had Zac in it.

**AN: Oooh! Sorry for cliffhanger, but had to do it! I'm writing the next chapter very soon. Thanks for reading, more will be out in a very short time!**

**-The Swimming Kitten**


	2. Long Lost Love

**AN: So so sorry for the wait! I'll get better, don't you worry. Enjoy! I don't own Mako Mermaids.**

The moment Lyla realised what was happening around her, she dove down and swam as fast as her tail would take her toward the boat that was bringing in Zac.

"ZAC!" she screamed, her head bursting the surface next to the boat.

"Hey, there's his girlfriend!" Jack hollered. "Get her!"

Zac was thrown aboard, still struggling in the ropes as Lyla continued to shout and yell at the men.

"Let him go, you cruel monsters!" she screamed, splashing water at them violently and aiming her moon ring threateningly.

Jack kicked Zac to the side of the boat and grabbed Lyla's outstretched arm and pulled her on to the boat, sending her thudding on her stomach on the floor.

"Lyla!" Zac shouted, sending a look of hatred to the men surrounding him.

Before Lyla could try and get up, Jack stood a foot down hard on her back so she couldn't move. One of his other men punched Zac until he was unconscious.

"No!" Lyla sniffed, crying into her arm.

Jack's boat was now covered in blood stains and Lyla's tears. They continued to kick her hard until she blacked out.

**XxXxX**

Sirena and Nixie ran into the cafe and headed straight for David.

"David!" Sirena cried in a rush. "We're all in danger! Lyla and Zac have gone to look for them and who knows what could happen! I'm so scared!"

"Calm down." David comforted her. "What's going on?"

Sirena took a couple of deep breaths and then answered him.

"The story's too long to explain, but there are very bad people out there and they want to catch and kill all us mermaids and probably Zac as well! They could be anywhere and Lyla and Zac have left to find them." Sirena explained between bursts of tears down her cheeks.

David's eyes widened.

"I'll come and help you. We should leave now, or something could happen to them before we know it!" he said anxiously.

"What's going on?" Cam joined the conversation. Nixie grabbed his arm and held on to it tightly as Sirena explained everything.

There was nothing holding them back - David and Cam zoomed out on boats, an Nixie and Sirena swam fast toward Mako, following Lyla and Zac's ripples left it the water.

Nixie surfaced behind Mako, gasping in horror at the sight of the boat that was driving away with Lyla and Zac's bodies.

"Sirena, get over here!" she shouted. "Quick! Hurry!"

Sirena's head bust out of the surface beside her and she screamed when she saw Jack's boat.

They both swam as fast as they could and when they got to the boat and surfaced, it was already whizzing away. Sirena held her breath and jumped high out of the water, like a dolphin and landed grabbing the side of Jack's boat, pulling the edge down and spilling seawater into the boat.

Jack growled in anger.

"Come on Jared! Get your ass into gear! Kill her!"

"Lyla! Zac!" Sirena shrieked, clutching the side of the boat and reaching out for Lyla's arm that rested still on the floor of the part of the boat closest to where Sirena flailed.

Jared hesitated before running over with a knife.

"Get it in her heart, come on boy!" Jack yelled angrily.

Sirena struggled to get back into the water. Her tail slapped against the side of the boat, making dents. Nixie burst out of the surface next to the boat the split second Jared stabbed the knife into Sirena's arm.

Sirena's scream echoed everywhere, causing the men in all the other boats turn round to look and smirk.

Jared's eyes widened at the torture he was causing this mermaid. He hardly heard Jack's grinning yells to cut her deeper, to murder her. Midst the stab he was inflicting, his eyes flickered to the brunette mermaid that had burst the surface nearby.

Pure horror and betrayal was glaring into him from her piercing blue eyes. _Nixie._ It seemed like only yesterday…

**FLASHBACK - 10 years earlier**

Jared was just eight years old, but his uncle Jack didn't want to hear Ben's protests that his son was way too young to begin mermaid hunting.

"Daddy, do I have to?" Jared wailed, his green eyes lingering to the still surface of the blue water surrounding the boat he and his father stood on.

Ben followed his son's gaze, and then kneeled down to the young merboy.

"Listen, whatever your uncle says to you. If you think it is wrong, don't do it. But I'm not holding you back to do it either. You can make your own choices whatever he says, okay?" Ben assured Jared with a wink.

Jared nodded unhappily. Suddenly, a huge splash was heard from the other end of the boat. Jack's voice could be heard, snarling victory triumphantly. Ben stood up and whipped around.

Jared gasped. A very young mermaid's cries echoed from where Jack was brandishing a knife dripping with silver. Ben was running over to the other end of the boat.

Jared, being a fast runner at only a couple of years of experience with legs on land, followed his father to see what was going on.

Ben skidded to a halt as he saw the tiny mermaid girl unconscious on the floor of the boat, silver coated wounds deeply gashed into the side of her orange tail. Jared felt like burrowing his head into Ben's shirt but couldn't take his eyes off the girl.

She looked about 7 or 8 years old - the same age as him. She had long, dark hair and a pale face. Her eyes were closed but framed with long black eyelashes. Jared jerked away when Jack slapped his back, grinning the usual evil smile when he had gotten a mermaid down on the boat.

"A little one! Pretty, too. Too bad she's gonna die like the rest, eh!" he chuckled, not seeming the slightest bit sympathetic when he looked down at her, all bloody and nearly dead.

"Why did you do this!" Ben raged. "She's only a little girl! Innocent!"

Jared shivered, clutching his dad nervously. Jack's smirk turned into a scowl.

"A useless merman, you are." he spat. No help at all! You try me one more time and you'll end up just like HER." he pointed at the brunette mermaid on the floor.

Ben returned his brother's gaze icily but said nothing.

Jack's gaze shot to little Jared, who was sticking as close to Ben as he could. Jared hated it when his father and his uncle fought.

"Your father is a failure." Jack muttered, still looking at Jared angrily. "Now I'm going over to George and Sam's boat to grab some more weapons. You two get this mermaid back to the cell. You know how to drive the boat."

With that, Jack jumped off the boat and into the water. The moment Ben saw the blue tail disappear, he turned around to crouch and face Jared.

"This is your choice, for your future, Jared." Ben said carefully. "I'm going to allow you to choose what we do with this mermaid. You either please your uncle, and put her in the cell, or you please your mother and set her free."

"My mother isn't alive." Jared whispered. Ben shook his head and looked out to the long stretch of sea beyond Mako.

"Oh, she's alive. Just not in the waters we swim in."

"But where?"

Ben smiled faintly.

"Out there. Somewhere. But she can hear you right now, and is waiting for your decision."

Jared breathed hard and looked down at the little mermaid. When he was about to tell his father he couldn't make a choice like this, her eyes opened.

Jared was speechless. They were blue like the ocean, so beautiful. But right now they were full of fear.

She tried to leap up and hurl herself off the boat, but the deep wounds in her tail were too painful to move an inch. Tears rolled down her face and she continued to wince as she wouldn't give up.

Ben turned to face Jared.

"You have to make a choice, Jared. Now." he whispered.

Jared trembled, unable to take his eyes off the mermaid.

"I - I want to let her go."

Ben nodded slowly, and took a step forward to the girl. She immediately edged back to the side of the boat, keeping as far from them as she could. Ben sighed and walked back to his son.

"She might understand you. She looks about your age. Go and tell her we don't want to hurt her." he told Jared quietly.

Jared nodded shakily and stepped over to the small mermaid.

"Get away from me." she mumbled, quivering in fear.

"D- don't worry, okay? I want to help you." Jared stuttered.

"Help me?" the girl's voice became stronger, her eyes averting to the sea. "Since when. You're going to take me away and torture me. All of them have. It's how my mother died, and my sister too."

"I'm not like that." Jared said. "What's your name?"

The mermaid muttered something under her breath.

"What did you say?" Jared bent down beside her.

"Nixie!" she shot back, her blue gaze burning into him.

"I'm Jared. I'm eight years old. Me and my father aren't like the other mermen. We need to get you back into the water before my uncle comes back. He's the one that hurt you just before. He's the one that killed your mother. I saw. She looked just like you."

"Why would you understand." Nixie huffed. "You're a merman. You don't have a mother. None of you do."

"We do have fathers." Jared replied. "Most are cruel, but mine isn't."

"Prove it. Let me go." Nixie grumbled, frowning at the silver droplets running down her scales and onto the white floor of the boat.

"Dad?" Jared stood up. Ben was nowhere to be seen. "DAD?!"

He ran over to the side of the boat and looked over.

Somebody was surfacing, somebody…

Jack burst out of the surface, a wide grin on his face. Jared knew it contained evil.

Up came Jack's shoulders, up came his arms, his hands… they were holding Ben. Not all of Ben, only his head.

"DADDY!" Jared screamed. "MURDERER! MURDERER!"

"We're all murderers!" Jack snarled. "I see you've got that little girl there all ready to go!"

Jared's eyes widened and he sprinted back to Nixie.

"I have to get you into the water! Now!" he shouted, tugging at the nets still around her tail.

"Ow!' she cried as he tugged off the last corner. Jared put his arms around Nixie and lifted her up. Staggering under the weight of her tail he readied himself for dropping her into the water.

"Jared!" Nixie trembled, gripping his shoulders.

"What?"

"I love you!" she kissed him hard and ripped herself out of his arms and into the water.

Jared watched in awe as she zoomed away to join the rest of her pod.

"That merman saved me. I will never forget you, Jared." Nixie whispered.

**FLASHBACK ENDED**

Jared ripped the knife out of Sirena's arm and it dropped from his hand. He hardly heard the clatter at it hit the floor of the boat.

Sirena yelped and fell back into the water.

Nixie remained frozen, staring at Jared. She shook her head slowly, and backed away.

"Nixie, wait!" Jared pleaded.

"It's been so long. I never knew you were really like this." she whispered, so quiet only she and Jared could hear. She grabbed Sirena and dove under the water.

"She's gone." Jared closed his eyes.

"Shut up and get these two out of here!" Jack shoved him hard and stamped on Lyla's tail, hard as he walked away.

**AN: Wow, that must be the longest chapter I've ever written! It took AGES! Please review! I won't give you too much of a wait if you do!**


	3. Determination

**AN: Again I'm really sorry if I'm a bit slow on updating, I've just been very busy lately but I promise I will never give up on my story! I don't own Mako Mermaids.**

Nixie had a tough time holding Sirena's weight as she zoomed through the ocean scanning the area for Cam's boat. She finally saw it in the distance and tightened her grip on her wounded friend as she struggled to swim faster.

Cam saw her coming and beckoned for David to drive his boat over. Nixie's head broke the surface and in her arms was a bleeding, sobbing Sirena.

Cam's eyes widened. "Quick, get her on board!" he shouted. David drove his boat over in a rush as Nixie hauled Sirena on to Cam's boat.

"No!" David cried out, tossing his anchor into the water and leaping into the other boat to lean over Sirena. "Sirena! Sirena?" She was motionless, but there was just a tiny rise and fall in her chest indicating she was alive.

"You have to take her back to Rita's." Nixie responded, tears rippling down her cheeks as she squeezed Sirena's hand.

"Where are Zac and Lyla?" Cam demanded, looking up from Sirena.

They're gone!" Nixie choked out. "They took her."

"And hurt Sirena? Who did this?" David quivered, not taking his eyes off Sirena.

"His name is Jared." Nixie mumbled. "Me and him met before, a long long time ago but I'll never forgive him for hurting Sirena."

"What? How did you know each other?" Cam inquired anxiously.

Nixie looked down.

"We - we-" she stopped herself. "There's no time. I have to go after that boat before they lock Zac and Lyla away to be killed. THAT is more important than stupid relationships, alright?" She allowed Cam no time to reply, and ducked beneath the surface.

"Relationships?" Cam whispered, hardly noticing that she'd soaked him with water during her desperate escape after the boat.

**XxXxX**

Nixie was able to keep up with the boat for about 45 minutes, but they were picking up speed and were making an obvious attempt to get away from view of anybody in the distance.

Nixie saw a clear stretch of water ahead that the boat was heading for. Beyond that was a small patch of land with a single building. Knowing she'd found their hiding place, she surfaced to take a few moments to think.

This land would probably be easy to find again, so she could lead Cam or David or Evie there on a boat to help her… but Nixie shook her head. There wasn't much time left, she had to keep going or she might lose Lyla and Zac. She had to know where they would be taken.

Nixie ducked beneath the surface again and carried on toward the place the boat was driving towards.

Not long after that, the boat stopped next to some docks beside the land. Nixie cast over her invisibility and swam closer.

A man climbed off, followed by another. Nixie noticed one of them was Jack. These two men gripped Lyla, who was still unconscious and in mermaid form. Then Jared appeared behind them. Nixie flinched as he walked next to his uncle with hands in pockets staring at the ground.

They took Lyla over to the building and disappeared into the doorway. Some other men brought Zac through as well.

_I have to save them,_Nixie thought in frustration. _But how?_

The last guy closed the door behind them. Nixie grumbled to herself and dragged her tail ashore, finding it difficult to keep her invisibility strong at the same time.

After drying off and standing up to brush the sand off her shorts, Nixie ran up to the building and tugged at the doorknob. Locked. Thinking it was no problem, Nixie attempted to use her powers to break the lock. It didn't budge.

Swearing under her breath, she stepped back and considered bashing it down. No, it would make a loud noise and they would notice that somebody had broken in. Nixie groaned and ran around the sides of the building, scanning the place for another entrance.

There weren't any more doors, just a small window. She straightened up and peered in. There was a large room, with seating and a table. There was a small kitchen, with locked cupboards and a sink and an oven. On the far side was a doorway that led into a long hallway. On the other side there were stairs leading down underground.

Walls hid everything else and Nixie sighed as there was no sign of anybody. Suddenly there were loud footsteps.

Thud, thud, thud. Nixie's eyes widened as she had absentmindedly released her invisibility. She clenched her fist and shimmered out of view the moment Jack thundered into the room followed by Jared and some other people.

Nixie scowled silently as Jack walked into the kitchen and unlocked one of the cupboards. Nixie held back a gasp as she saw it was packed full of fresh seafood. She knew that crabs could fly if it was for the prisoners. These men had all this food for themselves!

Nixie kept watching and listening hard as they all sat down on sofas and chairs.

"Well, what a day!" Jack grinned smugly as he crunched into a lobster and plopped down in the chair opposite Jared. "Wasn't it?" he looked pointedly at Jared. Jared didn't answer as he stared into space regretfully.

"I sure can't wait to sink my knife into that stupid boy's head!" one of the other men laughed evilly. "So what if he's one of our own kind. I would give the end of my fin to get to do the same to him."

Nixie clamped her hand over her mouth. They were still mermen? All the mermaids in the pod knew that the T.S.M.T had lost their powers and tails forever whilst an attempt to get power from the moon pool. But they hadn't?

Jack roared with laughter.

"I've been wanting to kill that guy and his annoying mermaid friends ever since he transformed and they got cast out!" he guffawed. "So I get the first stab. And then with Lyla as well."

"Unfair." another merman pouted.

"I locked them up down there for a reason." Jack gestured to the dark stairway in the corner of the room. "So that we could hurt them before killing them. Nobody argues with me, I'm the boss so I get the first stab."

"It's all you care about." Jared growled. "Hurting them. Why don't you do something with your life?"

"Ah, yes. Jared made a great wound on that blond chick today, didn't he?" Jack ignored the meaning of Jared's words. "Made her scream real loud! Ha ha ha." he slapped Jared on the back.

All the other mermen nodded in agreement.

"You're one of us now, boy." Jack's friend Ray said with a grin.

Nixie stepped back from the window, fighting the constant flashbacks of the first time she met Jared. She focussed hard on what was happening now. Lyla and Zac were locked down underground!

Nixie ran away from the building to swim back to tell the others.

**AN: Was that good? :) Next chapter we'll be going down those mysterious stairs to see what's going on with Lyla and Zac...**


	4. Jack's Evil Plans

**AN: Ah, the lovely feeling when you finally update your story! Well, it hasn't been that long, has it? I don't own Mako Mermaids.**

Lyla instantly tensed as she started to wake up. She felt a cold metal floor underneath her tail, pressing against her stomach and could already sense she was isolated from Zac.

At last daring to fully open her eyes, she held her breath, ready to take in her surroundings. Lyla found herself locked in a small metal cage with bars all around her and a solid metal roof and floor.

She lifting herself up a bit, trying to move her damp tail, which had no room to slide across the ground freely. Lyla looked up and groaned as she saw water dripping from the top, splashing on her every few seconds.

They must have been quick to make sure she couldn't get her legs back - not that there was even room to stand up in here.

Lyla raised a weak arm to close her fingers around one of the bars and edge closer to peer out the cracks.

Outside her cage there was a square metal room with no windows - just one door at the back that had a bunch of locks on it that looked too thick and hard to use powers to break.

Along the sides of the walls were lots and lots of cages just like Lyla's, each with a mermaid inside. Lyla's mouth gaped as she instantly recognized that these were from her own pod. How dare they!

Most of them were unconscious or slumped facing the wall, but Lyla picked out Aquata from the crowd, who was fortunately in a cage closer to Lyla's. Aquata was fully awake but silent, resting her head against the bars gloomily.

"Aquata!" Lyla hissed, not sure whether it would pay to be quiet or not. There was no clue where this room even was, whether it was nearby to where their captors lurked, or well away. Lyla decided not to take the chance of speaking to Aquata about escape plans or where Zac could be as loud as she normally would.

Aquata jerked up at the sound of Lyla's voice and turned to look at her with a face streaked with dried blood and tears.

"Lyla!" she broke out. "What happened?!"

"I want to ask you the same thing." Lyla responded. "How did this happen! How did the pod get captured? And-" Lyla's gaze fell to Aquata's wrists. Her hands… weren't… there.

Aquata looked down, fresh tears dribbling down her face. Lyla was horrified. "Did they do this to you?!" she cried.

"They cut them off." Aquata sobbed. "When I tried to use my powers on them when they came in, they got really angry with me and when I woke up the next day my hands were gone!" she looked over at the other mermaids. "They did it to some of the others, too."

"Those men deserved more than the loss of their powers!" Lyla raged. "They all deserve to die."

"They have their powers back!" Aquata sniffed. "They are mermen again."

"What?" Lyla knew things couldn't be any worse.

Aquata sunk down and rested her head on her arms.

"How many of you did they kill?" Lyla demanded.

"They killed Maya." Aquata started to cry again. "And Lily."

"Lily?!" Lyla cried, debating with herself whether to just stop talking and burst into tears herself. She shook the feeling off and spoke again."What happened to the rest of the pod. Did they escape?"

"Yes." Aquata mumbled. "Not many though. Over a hundred were captured. This isn't the only room they have mermaids locked in. There are many more."

Lyla looked all around the room.

"Zac was taken as well! I can't find him!" she started to cry heavily, raising her voice to a scream. "Where is he! I won't let them hurt him!" she began to bash against the bars of the cage in fury.

A few mermaids woke up to the noise and turned around to look at Lyla.

"Lyla, stop it!" Aquata reached through the bars to comfort Lyla with what was left of her arm. "Doing that won't help. We can't get out."

Lyla pulled away from her touch and buried her head in the corner of the cage, covering her eyes and sobbing.

"If it would make you feel better," Aquata whispered. "I saw them take Zac into the room next to us. For all we know, he could be behind that wall."

Lyla wiped her face with her hands and reached out to gingerly touch the wall next to her cage.

"Please be alright. I love you Zac." she said under her breath.

**XxXxX**

"Please! Somebody answer me!" Zac yelled for the hundredth time. He'd woken up in a small isolated room, chained to the wall and in merman form. It has been hours, but not a sound could be heard from anywhere. Nobody came to unlock the bolted door, there were no voices heard or even footsteps.

Zac didn't know if it was day or night, let alone light or dark out. There were no windows whatsoever, and everything was just silver metal, a blood stain here and there.

"Oh Lyla. I wish I could find you." he murmured. Suddenly there were footsteps outside the door. Zac straightened up and looked to the doorway nervously.

The thudding footsteps came to a stop and there were clicking of buttons and scraping of keys and beeping of codes in all the locks until the door swung open revealing Jack.

Zac shot him an angry glare.

"Tell me where she is." he demanded.

"Who?" Jack pretended to not know.

"Stop playing stupid games and tell me where you've put Lyla!" Zac growled, tugging at the cuffs that chained his hands behind his back.

"What's the point?" Jack smiled evilly. "She's going to die before you can even think about trying to find her. At that point, your love will be gone and so will your life once I finish you off afterwards."

"You need to think about what you've been doing all your life!" Zac shouted. "Destroying innocent lives isn't going to make you a better person."

"No, it won't." Jack snarled. "But it will make me more powerful, won't it? You don't have a chance against me. None of you do."

"None of us?" Zac repeated. "You've got more mermaids here?"

"Your girlfriend's pod has payed us generously with the population."

"Wha-" Zac cut himself off. How did this guy know about his relationship with Lyla?

"And," Jack smirked, seeming to read Zac's mind, "I know not just that but all aspects of your life, including that pathetic trio that include Lyla. Rita… NIxie… Sirena…" he trailed his fingernail across the wall as Zac looked on angrily, "And as a matter of fact I've watched everything unfold in your life ever since you became a merman. Too bad you won't be living much longer, eh? And neither will your precious Lyla or any of the others."

"If you kill her, I'll kill you." Zac said quietly under his breath.

"Wow." Jack looked at Zac in mock astonishment. "Such bravery for a pathetic teenage merboy! However, I might add, I am much more powerful and that leaves you no chance against me. She will die, and you will never be able to change that."

"The power of love can bring back a life." Zac whispered. "It's been done before, it can be done again."

"I know, I know." Jack grinned. "But magic won't work if you don't have power, right?"

"You wouldn't dare!" Zac roared.

"Oh, but I would." Jack yelled back in triumph. "You have no chance against me! None!"

With that, Jack whipped something out of his pocket and slammed it to the back of the door. As he released his hand, Zac saw that it was a timer. Ticking. Jack let out an evil laugh. "Three days until you lose your powers forever!.Three days until you lose Lyla forever. Three days until you lose EVERYTHING."

**AN: I don't know why I get so anticipated to shake things up when it is only early in the story! I gotta learn t o stretch things out a bit… but I'm not regretting this! I hope you enjoyed it :)**


	5. Nixie's Plan

A/N: So sorry I took so long! But here it is!

By the time Nixie had arrived back at Rita's, she had already thought up a plan in her mind.

"Nixie!" Sirena ran over to greet her friend with one arm, her other was in a sling.

Rita approached them.

"So did you find where Lyla and Zac are?" she asked.

Nixie nodded.

"It's far away, a little building on a small piece of land. I'm pretty sure road's from this town lead to it."

"And Lyla?" Sirena pressed.

"Her and Zac are locked underground somewhere. I tried using my powers on the door but it wouldn't unlock."

Sirena bit her lip as she lowered herself down on a seat in the grotto, still swincing against the pain of her arm.

Nixie's gaze fell on the bandaged wound.

"I'm going to kill Jared. The first thing I'll do when I go back there is do that."

"No way. You can't go back there again." Rita said. "They could kill you if they see you."

"But we need to get Lyla and Zac back!" Nixie protested. "They are the ones that will die if we don't do anything. That's why I've made a plan. We'll need to get Cam, and David. Evie is essential too."

"Why land people?" Sirena wondered.

"Duh!" Nixie replied in exasperation. "If a mermaid goes over there, they'll be dead before they know it."

"Right." Sirena sighed, shifting in her spot.

"We'll get them to go over to the place, and knock on the door saying that they are selling murderous weapons or something - anything that will make Jack take the bait." Nixie continued. "Once Jack opens the door, they can run inside and down the stairs to find Lyla and Zac!"

"The doors will be locked." Rita reminded Nixie. Nixie nodded.

"I thought of that. Land people make axes, right?"

Rita and Sirena exchanged glances.

"Well, I think you've hatched us a plan then, Nixie." Rita couldn't help laughing. "And good idea, thinking of Evie. She is very good at persuading others to give her her way."

Nixie nodded in satisfaction.

"I'll go find Cam. Sirena, if it's not too much trouble dragging that cast to the cafe, could you let David know?"

"Sure thing." Sirena nodded and leapt up from her chair.

"After I speak to Cam, I'll go get Evie." Nixie informed Rita.

I never thought you to be such a clever thinker, Nixie." Rita commented admiringly.

"Anything to save my best friend aside from Sirena and that lovable merman." Nixie smiled, though still having worry clouded in her blue eyes.

"Go on then." Rita nodded for Nixie to leave.

Nixie left the room and decided to walk to Cam's house rather than swim.

XxXxX

A/N: Sorry that it's quite short today, but I've found it easier to keep on top of the parts of my story by spacing it out a bit. Leave a review if you are excited for the next chapter :) I still read ones from Guests.


	6. The Promise

A/N: So sorry! I'm constantly feeling guilty for ignoring this story and updating others instead. I've got to get myself into it. So here is the next chapter. A quick warning, it has a gunshot and violence and blood etc in it. I don't own Mako Mermaids.

Lyla flinched behind the metal bars as she heard the door creak open. Jack thundered in, still in deep conversation with his friend and fellow T.S.M.T partner, Ray.

"I just want to know what I'm supposed to do with her!" Ray's voice echoed down the hall. "I've done everything you told me, but I don't get why we need her!"

"That stupid land girl will trust you, and it will bring her closer to you, and further away from our enemies." Jack said, entering the room and kicking a caged mermaid to the side of the room. "Nixie, Sirena and Zac won't have her as an allie anymore that way, and it will be easier to kill them with no one trying to stop us! Evie's already excluded herself from the business. It will be too easy to get her on our side. She will if she has strong feelings for you"

Lyla's heart leapt to her throat.

"Ah, I get it now." Ray agreed, leaning against the wall as Jack surveyed the room while Lyla crouched down in the corner pretending to be asleep.

"Good." A smile curled up Jack's lips as his gaze fell on Lyla. Thinking she wasn't awake, he turned back to Ray and carried on with the conversation. "Hey, you know that merman we chained up in that room?" he gestured to the door right next to the room of mermaids.

Lyla had to hold her breath to prevent herself from gasping out loud.

"You mean Zac? Yeah why?" Ray droned on, walking into the room and peering into Aquata's cage and smirking at her handless arms.

"You do know about his relationship with Lyla, right?" Jack replied.

Ray straightened up and glanced at Lyla, who didn't dare move a muscle.

"Uh huh."

Jack walked over to Lyla's cage, frowning at her as she tensed under his gaze.

"Do you think we ought to wait before killing her? Just to get Zac upset even though she's alive? I'd like to put those two throught the most misery I can after what they did with the trident." he wondered.

"You make all the choices around here, I'm not holding you back." Ray smiled.

"Jared's holding me back." Jack muttered. "But at least I can use him as a way to hurt Nixie once I manage to get her here."

"How?" Ray asked.

Jack grinned.

"They've got feelings for eachother. We can twist it around all we want, hurt her feelings not to mention Cam's as well. I want them hurt mentally as well as physically. After that we can just kill them."

Lyla couldn't hold her silence.

She jolted up from her position.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?!" She screeched. "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND WRECK OUR LIVES?! WHY WOULD YOU KEEP ME AWAY FROM ZAC?! WHY KILL NIXIE?! WHY USE EVIE AGAINST US?! WHAT IS CAUSING YOU TO DO THIS TO ALL OF US?! I HATE YOU! YOU ARE A THREAT TO MY POD AND ZAC AND AS A RESULT OF THAT I WILL KILL YOU!"

Ray left the room, leaving Jack and Lyla alone in the middle of the unconscious mermaids.

Jack was still grinning.

"Really? You wanna know why I've done this?" he chucked, stepping around the cages and peering in at the dying mermaids filling up the room. "You've gone to mermaid school. Learned all about the war between mermen and mermaids? Mako is rightfully ours, it always has been, but unfortunately, all you pathetic mermaids have hogged it and left us to die. Do you think we don't want revenge? Do you think we shouldn't kill you all when you destroyed our only source of power forever?"

"If you think I would pay you any compassion for you and your pod of barnacle heads then you are sorely mistaken." Lyla answered coldly.

"Right, right, mermen are your greatest enemy, am I right?" Jack drawled.

"Absolutely." Lyla regretted the word as soon as she said it.

Jack pretended to gasp in horror.

"So Zac is your greatest enemy?" he scoffed. "I think you're right. He never wanted you. He just wanted power. He will do nothing to stop me killing you in three days. What can he do, anyway? He's locked up. Separated. Behind that wall."

"If you're going to kill me, spare him." Lyla whispered. "Please. I'll go anything. Just don't kill him."

"Too easy!" Jack cackled. "I'm not stupid Lyla. I know he can just use his love power to bring you back to life. Too easy…" he repeated, strolling around the room.

"What are you going to do?" Lyla demanded.

"Power. He can't bring you back to life if he doesn't have power."

"NO! NO YOU CAN'T! PLEASE!" Lyla screamed, bashing the walls sending thundering vibrations rippling through the walls. Jack grabbed a gun from his pocket.

"Get used to your last three days of life!" he roared, aiming it at her. "I get to use all sorts of cool human weapons!"

"NO! PLEASE! KILL ME THEN! KILL ME! I WON'T LIVE MY LIFE LIKE THIS!" Lyla screeched, thundering about and raising the volume of her voice in every word.

XxXxX

Zac jumped, hearing screaming behind the wall on the other side of his room. He shuffled over, still chained, and pressed his ear against the wall.

"LYLA!" He shouted, instantly recognizing her voice immediately. "LYLA! I'M HERE! DON'T LET THEM -"

The gun shot noise silenced every other sound Zac was formerly aware of. It slowed time down. It pulsed in his ears, every moment repeated the horrific sound.

XxXxX

I'M NOT DEAD YET! I'M STILL ALIVE!" Lyla screamed to Zac, collapsing in the wake of the wound in her shoulder where Jack's bullet had shot.

Jack threw the gun aside, and ran out of the room, forming a new plan in his mind already.

"LYLA!" Zac yelled out. "NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU! REMEMBER THAT! NIXIE WILL GET HELP AND WE CAN GET OUT OF HERE, UNDERSTAND ME?! AND WHEN WE DO, WE WILL GET MARRIED AND BE TOGETHER FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES! NOTHING WILL STOP US! THAT IS A PROMISE I WILL NEVER EVER BREAK!"

"I know!" Lyla choked out in tears as she clutched her bloody shoulder. "I know." she slipped into unconsciousness.

A/N: Yeah… I really couldn't help myself in this… I know it's only chapter 6 but I had to! I couldn't resist putting in some major storyline! I may have gone too far… sorry if it disturbed any of you… next chapter will be all happy happy joy joy, I promise! And I'm changing the story name to ZAC'S PROMISE. Because of what he said. Okay? :)


	7. The Impossible is True to it's Name

**A/N: I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm finding it so hard to find time for these chapters. But don't worry, I will get them done eventually. I'll try harder! I don't own Mako Mermaids. Also, this chapter may include mention of things that happened in Zayla 1: Lyla's Mistake. If you haven't read that first story in this series, then you might not understand something talked about in this chapter. This chapter also mentions events from H2o Just Add Water.**

"Really Nixie, I'm not much help." Cam groaned as he and Nixie walked through the park in deep conversation.

"You were Zac's best friend since you were little." Nixie insisted. "And Lyla's been my friend for… a couple of years! But still…" she stopped walking and turned around to face Cam.

Cam shook his head, giving in.

"Alright!" he sighed, holding her hands in his. "But how will I help? I don't have powers, or speed swimming abilities or invisibility or…"

"You don't need those things!" Nixie interrupted. "And don't you dare turn on me again and try get in the moon pool again, will you?"

"I know, I know." Cam pulled himself closer to her as she rested her head against his shoulder. "I promise I won't. But seriously, how will I possibly be able to be a part of this? I can't do anything about the fact that Zac and Lyla and your pod are locked up far away. It's not that I don't care, I do…It's just -"

Nixie hit him in the chest, hard. "Ow!" Cam jumped back. "I thought we covered the fact that "hitting me up" isn't meant physically!"

"I know why you don't want to go over there." Nixie huffed, anger building up inside her. "It's Jared, isn't it?"

Cam knew he was trapped.

"Look, Nixie I'm sorry…" he fidgeted around, trying to explain.

"You know I don't have feelings for him anymore! There's nothing going on! I hate him now! He hurt Sirena. I overestimated him back then and now he's just like the rest. A bastard."

"I hope you mean that Nixie." Cam murmured, starting to walk again, with her close behind.

**XxXxX**

"Aquata, wake up." Lyla whispered, nudging the other mermaid through the bars of the cage. Aquata didn't move. "Aquata!" Lyla forced herself wide awake and prodded Aquata harder. "Wake up! Please!"

Aquata jolted from her sleep, frowning at Lyla as she rested back down.

"What is it?"

Lyla's head drooped in relief.

"Aquata! God, I thought you were dead -"

"Don't say that word!" Aquata sniffed. "I've heard enough of it. Seen enough of it." she gestured to the motionless mermaids that surrounded them, some stiff in unnatural positions, lying outside smashed cages with silver stained knifes wedged in their throats.

Lyla followed her gaze miserably.

"I can't believe this is happening." she sobbed, turning around to face the wall. Lyla traced the wall with her finger, whispering her love for Zac, the words icily silent on the tip of her tongue.

This was the longest she'd ever been isolated from Zac, and the sound of his voice coming from this wall last night had almost cured it. But that seemed like years ago now, and it had been a very long night too. All filled with his face in her restless dreams, his comfort, his heart.

Lyla's cage was still in shards all over the floor, but she didn't dare drag herself to the door over all those dead mermaids. As if there could be a happy ending now.

Zac's words from last night flashed in her mind. Would they ever really get married? It just seemed so… far. From now. Lyla wished that there could just be a way for it to be true.

And it would definitely be a first in mermaid history, apart from the document in one of Rita's books mentioning that a human transformed mermaid named Cleo, part of the same trio that had became mermaids in the moon pool back in 2006 causing the pod to flee temporarily, had married a land boy named Lewis.

Lyla's mind flashed back to the time when Cam had found one of Lewis' documents on the internet that a mermaid would lose her powers. That's what provoked Nixie… Lyla wished she could have been able to stop Nixie from turning herself into a land girl forever just for Cam. The pod however, used all their power to bring her tail back.

Looking at the state of the pod nowadays, the chances of being able to summon that much power would be gone. And if Zac got stripped of his powers now, then there wouldn't be a way to get them back.

Lyla looked down at the gunshot in her shoulder. Thankfully, it didn't leave much effect on her. Just pain. That pain being also from her separation from Zac.

**XxXxX**

**Sneak peek for next chapter.**

"Do you love me Evie?"

"Yes."

"More than you ever loved Zac?"

"More than anyone or anything in the world."

"Are you on my side?"

"More than anything."

"Then come with me. I need you to do something for me. Something really important."

"Of course I'll go with you, Ray. You're worth more than Zac and his mermaid lovers."

"I'm glad we've got that sorted."

XxXxX


	8. Nightmares become Reality

**A/N: Hey everyone! I don't own Mako Mermaids, although if I did, Lyla and Zac would be married by now. At least we have fanfiction! and SORRY I KEEP CHANGING THE TITLE! It's annoying when you change your mind all the time like I do. And I think I'm going to expand the series to six stories long, since I have so much planned. :)**

On the third night locked in the room, Zac's sleep was interrupted with flashing dreams, good and bad.

First all he could see was him and Lyla, swimming together with the whales, planning every detail of their wedding, discussing their feelings for eachother. But then Zac suddenly couldn't breathe - his tail was gone, in the place of it legs, he was about to drown, Lyla was trying to help him but she was also starting to die painfully.

Zac opened his mouth to call out to her, but water filled his mouth and he choked and he looked up and saw that the surface of the water was gone, they were now in the trident chamber, locked in, Lyla was sinking down, unconscious while Zac flailed with his legs and arms. Jack was underneath Lyla, pulling her down into the darkness and Zac tried using his powers but he no longer had any.

He couldn't hold his breath any longer - he was now falling into darkness too.

"Lyla!" Zac screamed, his voice bubbling into nothing from his lips as he gave up and was washed away into nothingness.

**XxXxX**

"LYLA!" Zac yelled out again, this time his voice clear and echoing off the metal walls around him. He forced himself to wake up, expecting his tail to slide across the floor as he sat up, but it didn't.

Were his ears still ringing from the dreams? No, they weren't. Zac covered his ears, staring up at the beeping timer up on the wall.

Then he averted his gaze down to his legs. They were wet from the leaking roof, but certainly did not transform.

The door suddenly swung open, and Jack skipped in, a broad smile on his face.

"HA! YOUR POWERS ARE GONE! AND SO IS LYLA, MY FRIEND!"

**XxXxX**

"No, Mr and Mrs Blakely, I am telling the truth, I swear!" Rita protested, holding the phone away from her ear as the yelling from inside continued. "I don't know where Zac is! Yes, he was at my house the last time he was seen, but that could hardly - The police?! Please, please. you're just going to have to take my word for it, alright? It's not my fault! And no, it wasn't Lyla's either. Those two are inseparable, you know that. As if she'd do anything to him. As if anyone would do anything to him. This is what you have to expect from teenage boys these days, alright? Again, I tell you, I'm sorry you can't find him, and I am confirming right this second that I don't know where he is."

Rita hung up the phone and sighed, leaning against the wall.

The sharp sound of the door creaking open echoed from downstairs and she braced herself for an excuse to tell the police. Rita gasped with relief when she saw Sirena and Nixie walk in.

"I told David, he's going to help." Sirena announced, favoring her injured arm as she sat down on a chair.

"Great." Nixie nodded briskly. "I talked Cam into it too. We should go as soon as possible. David and Cam can take their boats, and I'll lead the way in the water."

"Don't go excluding me!" Sirena put in quickly. "It doesn't matter if I can't swim with this arm. I can just go in David's boat with him, can't I?"

Rita nodded in agreement.

"You'll need all the help you can get for this, Nixie." she added.

"Alright." Nixie concluded, her face serious as she thought carefully. "Just - don't go near Jared. I'll handle him if we happen to come across him. If he injures you again, I'll injure him. No wait, kill him. Happy?"

Sirena and Rita sat in silence. Nixie nodded again. "Good. We have to go, now." she stood up and Sirena followed her out the door, saying goodbye to Rita before leaving through the underwater exit from the house.

**XxXxX**

Jack and some other mermen grabbed Zac by the arm and dragged him up the stairs, taking him purposefully past Lyla's room so that she'd see him.

"Zac! Zac!" she cried, slapping her tail on the ground, creating a big racket causing the men passing by to clamp their hands on their ears.

"Oh my god, SHUT UP!" Jack yelled at her, kicking the door shut, stopping Zac from seeing Lyla. They carried on taking him up the stairs and out the back door. They tossed him on the ground and he leapt up.

"What?!" Zac shouted, getting to his feet on the grass. "You're setting me free?"

"Your powers are gone!" Jack snarled, stepping back for the mermen to file back into the building.

"No way, I'm not going without Lyla!" Zac shouted. He ran up but was too late. Jack closed the door and locked it, leaving Zac with no powers to break back in again and find Lyla.

Zac kicked the door angrily and turned around and walked across the grass, down to the small pier standing next to the island.

Two boats were in the distance, coming toward the island. Zac made out Cam and David and Sirena's faces on the heads of the people in the boats and could just see Nixie's head pop up in the water close by, pointing straight ahead at the island.

While Zac waved his arms at his friends, Jack and the other mermen left the building and dove into the water, zooming away leaving the prison building where Lyla was, deserted.

David's boat arrived first. He anchored the boat and him and Sirena jumped out and ran up toward Zac.

"How did you get out?!" Sirena gasped, holding her bandaged arm carefully while she followed David on to the grass.

"I'll explain later. We have to get Lyla out. Now." Zac said, nodding greetings to David and stepping over to where Cam climbed out of his boat and Nixie dried off on the shore.

**A/N: If I have time, I might post the next chapter today. I hope everyone's enjoying the story! If anyone wants to know what the next four 'books' in this fanfiction are about, just PM me and I can fill you in on what there is to look forward to for Lyla and Zac. Oh yeah, and on the last chapter, I put a "sneak peek" of Evie and Ray, I said it would be explained in this chapter but I forgot to fit it in. I'll do it in the next one, I promise!**


	9. Frozen

**A/N: Here's another chapter! Told you I'd be quick ;)**

"The perfect revenge." Evie said to herself, grinning at her newly gained silver tail. "To think I ever wanted to give this up. Ha!"

She swam with Ray to the island, kissing him all the way.

"We make a good team." Ray said with a smile.

"Lyla will pay." Evie grinned. "They'll all pay."

**XxXxX**

"Don't worry, I've got an axe. I'll break this door down." Nixie told the others firmly as she readied herself to hit the door to the building.

"Why an axe?" David wondered.

"Because land people make great weapons." Nixie scoffed indignantly. "Apart from the trident, of course."

"Where did you even find that thing?" Cam asked, shaking his head at Nixie in amusement.

"Shut up. Let's go get Lyla." Nixie shot back, aiming the axe at the door. Her eyes looked into the window for a split second, and she dropped the axe. It clattered to the ground, her eyes glued on the window.

"Nixie?" Cam demanded. "What are you looking at?"

Nixie back away, still watching as Jared moved around inside the window.

"Oh no." Sirena bit her lip, also backing off. "Guys, get back. Jared's coming!"

Nixie started crying all of a sudden, and Cam picked up the axe, ready to throw it away so it wouldn't hurt anyone. He froze in his position as Jared was revealed as the door swung open with a creak.

Jared looked at Nixie crying, then at Cam who was holding the axe.

"Ok tough fishboy, it's not what it looks like…" Cam said slowly, placing the axe on the ground. Zac, David and Sirena tensed as Jared stared.

David nudged Sirena.

"There should be a back door. Let's go round and look." he whispered, eyeing Jared. Sirena nodded and Zac followed them. The trio ran around the building while Jared glared knives into Cam's eyes.

"Jared!" Nixie yelled, getting to her feet and wiping away her tears. "Jared, Cam is no harm…"

"How dare you do that to the love of my life!" Jared roared in Cam's face. "How dare you be with her in the first place! Leave before I make you!"

**XxXxX**

"Look!" Sirena hissed to David and Zac. "The door's been left open. Come on!"

"Be careful." David warned. "I don't want to lose you."

They all entered the building, walking down a hallway and into a carpeted room where sofas and a kitchen and television sat silently.

Zac knew the way to go.

"Down these stairs." he whispered. Sirena and David followed him down.

**XxXxX**

"What do you think they've done with him?" Lyla asked Aquata, hugging herself and shivering with anxiety. "Oh, I just hope he's alive."

"Unlikely." Aquata answered. "We are the last ones alive. Our whole pod is dead." she choked back a sob. "If only I could see Sirena one last time before I die too."

"No way, Aquata. I don't want you to die!" Lyla sniffed. "Stay with me. Please. You're the only company I have now. I'll just have to face facts that Zac's gone."

The door swung open, and Lyla jerked her head up. Somebody walked in, followed by two others.

"Lyla!" Zac gasped.

"Zac!"

Zac ran to her and they embraced.

"Zac Zac Zac Zac!" Lyla mumbled between kisses, falling into his warm hug. "Am I in heaven?"

"Am I in heaven?!" Aquata repeated, her arms wrapped around Sirena, encased in happiness.

"Your hands!" Sirena was crying, wetting Aquata's hair with tears. "Where are they?!"

"No more magic." Aquata said. "No more magic to get them back. No more magic, no more at all. The pod's gone."

Sirena started sniffling again, looking at the dead mermaids on the floor. David held her hand comfortably.

Zac stroked Lyla's cheek, which was also streaked with dribbling tears.

"We've got to leave!" Zac announced, helping Lyla to dry off and get to her feet. She was falling unconscious.

"Water is the essence of our spirits." Aquata recited, her eyes closing.

"That's right!" Sirena piped up suddenly, catching Aquata who was falling down. She winced as her injured arm began hurting painfully. "David, help me carry her. We need to get them to the water or they'll die!"

David held Aquata and Zac held Lyla. They all ran up the stairs and stopped dead.

Evie and Ray walked in, blocking the doorway. Hostility was in their eyes. Sirena screamed. Evie raised her arms and an invisible force pushed Lyla against the wall, injuring the weak mermaid.

"Evie?! How could you turn against us again!" David shouted, following Zac to Lyla's side.

Zac pulled Lyla to her feet and he tried to get her out of the room, outside.

Ray used his powers to throw them back, slamming them on the ground.

Evie threw out her arm again and Zac watched in complete horror as Lyla's body froze solid. Ice coated around her and her scared expression paused in it's place.

Sirena screeched again and her, Aquata and Zac all used their powers on Ray and Evie, forcing them away from the door.

Zac Aquata and David picked up the frozen Lyla and carried her outside in a rush. Zac took over holding her and he tossed her into the water, him going with her.

**A/N: Hehe, what's gonna happen now? Review if you are loving it! (... not in the way you'd love McDonalds.) Thanks to '****Vasilisa 'Lissa' Dragomir' for leaving some great reviews.**


End file.
